How We Review
Every review on GoodNotGood answers one question: is this product Good, or Not Good? Here is how we get to that answer, so you can decide how much to trust it.
Who reviews
Our reviews come from real owners. GoodNotGood was founded by Will and Andrea, and guest reviewers write for us too. Every reviewer owns the product and has used it for real: in training, at the range, on the trail or every day. Each review names the person who tested it.
How a review is made
- The reviewer owns it and uses it. We only review gear that has seen real use, and each review shows when it was last tested.
- They answer honest questions. We send every reviewer a few short questions tailored to the product about how they used it, what worked and what didn’t. We write the review from their answers, and the verdict is theirs.
- We check what others say. The “What others think” section compares our verdict with other published reviews and links to them, so you can see whether our experience is typical.
What Good and Not Good mean
Good means the reviewer would recommend it for the job they used it for. It can still have flaws, and we list them under The Not Good as “Flaws, but not deal-breakers.”
Not Good means something stopped it from doing that job well. That problem is the deal-breaker, and we tag it so you can see exactly why. There are no star ratings or scores out of ten, just a clear verdict and the reasons behind it.
Independence
We don’t take paid links, affiliate commissions or sponsorships, and we don’t accept free samples for review. Nobody pays for a verdict, and we make no money when you click a link. If that ever changes, we will say so clearly at the top of every review it affects.
Photos
Photos are labeled “Our photo” when the reviewer took them, or “Manufacturer image” when they come from the maker. Faces in reviewer photos are heavily blurred to protect people’s privacy.
Corrections and updates
If we get something wrong, tell us on our Contact page and we’ll fix it. When a reviewer keeps using a product and their view changes, we update the review and its “Last tested” date. Owners of the same product can add their own vote and comments on every review.
Share your own review
Own something you have a strong opinion about? Use the Share Your Review form to tell us what you’ve used. If it’s a fit, we’ll send you the questions and turn your answers into a review, with credit to you.